Velomacchi + Yamaha Unveil Rural Racer Project

Velomacchi developed their Rural Racer Project with Yamaha Motorcycles to showcase the companies’ mutual roots in moto heritage, technology, and innovation. The project also aims to illustrate the versatility and mod-ability of the new Yamaha XSR700 platform to meet the diverse riding needs of the Pacific Northwest.

The Rural Racer Project pays homage to urban-dwelling adventure moto culture; the self-taught mechanics willing to pay their own way, build their own vehicles, and escape into the hills whenever possible. Embracing like-minded values, Velomacchi and Yamaha have teamed up to create the ultimate bike that combines their mutual respect for Americana heritage with modern technology, precision engineering, aggressive riding, and backcountry exploration.

XSR700 will also feature a custom Yoshimura R&D exhaust and newly designed catalytic converter that’s more powerful, lighter weight, and environmentally compliant in all 50-states. . The bike’s rear shock and front fork are also customized for aggressive backcountry riding by Race Tech.

Integrating modern technology is also a cornerstone to the Rural Racer Project. The bike’s build team is working to create a modified ignition that starts upon smart phone facial recognition, and also runs the tachometer, speedometer, and GPS-enabled navigation utilities. The Rural Racer XSR700 will also utilize modern drone technology from DJI that includes a drone mount on directly the fuel tank that provides a gimbal-stabilized camera perspective while riding and rapid overhead drone deployment.

Kevin Murray, Founder and Chief Designer at Velomaccchi and lead builder of the Rural Racer XSR700 commented, “We wanted to build a bike that spoke to the modern urban dweller who uses their bike to both commute to work and escape on the weekends. That’s why the Rural Racer XSR700 is as beautiful and heritage-inspired as it is modernized with technology solutions like drone carry, facial recognition, and precision engineered parts from some of the top component brands in the world.”

Shun Miyazawa, Yamaha Motorcycle Project Manager and Rural Racer Project collaborator also commented, “Kevin and I have been talking about a heritage-inspired modernized rural race bike for years; our two brands share a lot of common values and we have both born witness to how this industry is changing. The Rural Racer XSR700 keeps the heritage-inspired vibe people love, while also delivering 21st century technology and unrivaled performance.”